"Where's the PASIV?" I whispered shakily.
"No. Absolutely not. You are not going into Limbo," Eames warned.
"What are you guys talking about?" Strauss asked.
"Shut up! Just stay out of the way!" I yelled at him, "Just go sit in the corner and don't do anything!" he sent a reproachful glance my way as he made his way to the back of the cave.
I grabbed the PASIV, set it down next to Arthur, and started to assemble it with trembling hands. Eames laid his hand on my shoulder and said, "You are not going into Limbo, I am."
"No you're not going, I am. You haven't even been into Limbo, but I have. I have more experience and I'm the one who got Fischer out. So if I can do it once, I can do it again with Arthur," I said firmly with a no-nonsense tone of voice.
He sighed in defeat and looked at me with eyes that said I shouldn't do this. He knelt down and started to hook Arthur up to the PASIV and said, "I'll guard your bodies and once I hear the music, I will set off the explosives. But, if you're not back in twenty minutes, I'll pull you out."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine and I will bring Arthur back," I said reassuringly, giving him a small smile.
The PASIV was set up so I slid carefully down onto the cold stone and I jammed the needle into my arm impatiently. My eyelids drooped and I knew that Arthur and Limbo awaited me.
Break
I thought Limbo would look different, but it didn't. It was still an abandoned wasteland for people who lost themselves in their own dreams and people who lost their sense of reality. In the back of my mind I knew that Arthur was trapped somewhere in the abandoned city of which you could make your own reality. I scanned the crumbling city from where I stood in the cold waves that lapped at my knees, looking for any sign of Arthur. Finding none, I set off into the city.
Walking through the dead silent streets was very eerie. The city loomed over me; I had no idea as to where to look! Arthur was smart, where would he go in Limbo? Probably somewhere high up, I mused, so he could give himself the kick. But he has never been in Limbo; he wouldn't know what to do. Maybe I should look for something high class, like a hotel or a workplace. He already dreamed of a hotel during the Inception job so…
Just as I finished the thought, a fancy hotel appeared as I turned a street corner. It had tall, white pillars that held up a balcony that ran the length of the hotel. It had a large cherry wood door that stood tightly shut. I tentatively touched the shining brass door handle, I was afraid to open the door, I was afraid of what I would find. I plucked up the courage and finally opened the surprisingly heavy door. What I found inside was shocking. The inside of the hotel was completely bare; there was no furniture, no paintings, no anything. A thick layer of dust covered everything and spider webs hung from the high chandelier. The white marble floor stretched out to a grand staircase that led up to a single, simple wooden door.
I carefully ascended the stairs and shakily turned the cold doorknob. I swung the door gently open and peeked inside. Arthur sat in the far corner of the large, bare room directly below a floor-to-ceiling window. He rocked sharply back and forth as I quietly walked toward him. It wasn't until I was right in front of him did he look up.
His usually sleek hair was disheveled, his usually crisp dress shirt was wrinkled, and his usually perfectly shined shoes were scuffed and dirty. His face was pale and his eyes had a worried, tired look to them. He gaped at me with a disbelieving look on his face. Then his disbelieving turned to harsh anger.
"Are you the real Ariadne?" he spat.
I took a step back, slightly afraid. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm the real Ariadne!" I exclaimed, confused.
"Sure you are, that's what all the others say," he spat back.
"What 'others'?" I asked, still having no clue as to what he was talking about.
"The projections, you idiot! Maybe you're just a really dull projection…" he snapped.
"But I am the real Ariadne!" I exclaimed, taking a small step towards him, I raised my hands slightly as if to say I meant him no harm.
"If you are the real Ariadne, then you must answer this question," he glanced up and I nodded my head excitedly for him to go on, "What did I say after I kissed you during the Inception job? None of the other projections could answer this."
"You said, 'It was worth a shot' after I asked why the projections were still watching us," I said confidently.
A look of relief and amazement passed over his face. He staggered up and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back and said, "Arthur, we still need to get out of here so…" I trailed off.
"Yes of course," he said, breaking off the hug but then asked, "Uh, how exactly do we get out of here?"
I sighed and said regretfully, "I'm going to have to shoot you."
Surprise flashed across his face but then he nodded quickly, allowing me to shoot him. A gun appeared in my hand and I slowly raised it, pointing it at his forehead. My hand trembled and I whispered shakily, "Arthur, I don't think I can. I respect you too much!"
"Ariadne, you can do it. I won't be hurt, you know that. This is the only way to get out of here," he said softly as he patted my shoulder reassuringly.
I nodded as a tear escaped my eye. I raised the gun once again, pointing it in the middle of his forehead. I remembered briefly when I did the same thing to Eames only awhile ago. I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger and Arthur fell onto the wooden floor with a thud. I turned my head away so I wouldn't see his body if it was still there. Then I raised the gun to my temple and pulled the trigger.
Break
Arthur and I both woke up at the same time. When Eames saw us awaken, relief crossed his face and he said, "I hear the music, we have to go."
We all lined up at the edge of the cave opening and Eames set off the explosives. The walls of the cave crumbled and collapsed and we were thrown out and fell downwards to the river that the waterfall flowed into. Before we even hit the water, the kick sunk in and we were torn back into the second level.
Break
Miles was ready. He had our bodies lined up by the edge of the stage in chairs, ready to push us over the edge to give us the kick. The second we all awakened he knocked all of our chairs off the edge and then jumped off himself. Back to the first level.
Break
We were in the freezing water of a river. Gosh can't Yusuf drive? Water already completely filled the van and I scrambled around for a way to get out. Arthur tapped my shoulder and I turned to find him holding an oxygen mask my way. I gladly took it and then swam through the side door of the van. This reminds me of Inception, ha-ha.
Just as I surfaced the water, I heard a familiar beeping noise and we were slowly being pulled back into reality.
Break
We awoke silently. My hand was still in Arthur's and he gave me a reassuring squeeze. Our helper was already unhooking Strauss. We all quickly unhooked ourselves and hid the PASIV in one of our suitcases. An attendant came in a said politely, "We have arrived in Paris, and have a nice day!"
We grabbed our bags and exited the train. Just as we were about to disappear into the crowd, I turned to Strauss and his body guard and said, "Adieu, mon bon monsieur!" (Goodbye, good sir!)
He nodded in quickly in a silent goodbye and his eyes looked me once over before he left without another word. I let out a sigh of relief as our mission was finally over. I looked at Arthur who gave me a huge smile and whispered in my ear, "Thank you so much for saving me." Eames, Miles, and Yusuf were already walking through the crowd and I turned to Arthur and whispered back, "You're welcome."
A woman in a baggy red sweater was staring at us strangely so I pecked Arthur on the mouth and disappeared into the crowd. No one could find me or any of my team in this mess or ever. I wouldn't ever let that happen. I wouldn't ever let Arthur or any of the team go into Limbo, it hurt too much to see the ones I love and respected fall into the grasp of Limbo.
AN: Sorry this took so long to write, I had a tough time writing this. So yeah, I tied the first chapter into this chapter. Oh, just as a warning, there will be more violence and other stuff in the next chapter. The next chapter might be the last chapter, but if you think I should continue the story, I will try to continue it. I don't really know what happens if you get shot in Limbo, so I'm just guessing there is nowhere deeper you can go so you just wake up. R&R! :D